Thunder and Lightning
by Nikkel
Summary: Later that night at Ember Island, a terrible storm rolls in. And one little girl can't sleep...


**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

Oh, and for those of you that were wondering (or a little confused), YES, I have another account with the name "Flame of Hikari". I recently set up this account just... because. A fresh start, you could say.

* * *

Brutal thunder pounded, a wide flash of light illuminating the charcoal sky, the cascaded raindrops endlessly falling down. The pelts dived into the ocean, torrential gales slamming against the salty brine, thrusting its mighty blue waves upon the sandy and helpless shore. Crash after crash ripped up the beach, pitching rocks from beneath left and right. With ravaging roar after ravaging roar the tropical storm barraged itself into the island, seeming to use all of its meteorological strength to break the palm trees like mere sticks. The tempest hovered over the isle, growling menacingly, and refusing to leave to a different place over the sea.

Fierce winds barreled at the cottage, attempting to knock the place down, keeping one individual awake. The scared little girl clad in pink yanked the thin covers over her head. Even in her comfortable bed she felt the breezes seep through the cracks of the hut, snaking over her body, wanting to take her away and be swallowed into the belly of the beast. The more terrifying gusts were working on taking on the stilts that supported the shelter. As if the wind itself was not enough, she shivered at the toll of cracks that threatened to rip the heavens to pieces just by a single bolt of lightning.

She curled herself up into a tight ball, the pillow over her ear so that her other was against the mattress. Suppressing a whimper in her throat she tried to muffle the frequent bangs and creaks of the cottage. But it was hard to. She flipped over, the covers twisting, when something on the other side of the room fell to the floor. Ty Lee clapped a hand over her mouth just as she screamed. It did not reach the sleeping ears to the rest of the cabin, who unlike her, did not have the fear of thunderstorms. No, they slept all of their fears away.

Ty Lee rolled back over. Earlier the bed had felt _so _comfortable, but now, it felt like a cold, hard, slab of rock. Fidgeting and telling herself that she needed to get her rest, bad thoughts and memories flooded her head like the waves down on the shore. Twice she nearly broke out into frightened tears, burying her face into pillow, soaking the cover of it. She felt like such a pathetic baby. How old was she? Sixteen? Even Ty Lee knew that she should have gotten over her fear by now. But no, she never did. She couldn't figure out why. It had been worse when she had left the Fire Nation to join the circus… the squalls that loomed over the Earth Kingdom had been terrible, especially with only a cloth tent to protect her from nature's fury.

Gathering up her miniscule courage, the adolescent acrobat drew up the blankets, draping them around her shoulders like a cape. She slipped a foot off the bed so that her big toe scraped the wooden floor, when an explosion of thunder pounded once more. With a shriek she contracted her leg up to the mattress about as fast as the lightning. Maybe… she shouldn't wake up anyone else. She had originally planned on crawling into Mai's bed, who was like a sister, and never seemed to mind her, as long as she didn't steal all the covers. In the flashes the storm provided Ty Lee scanned the seashell-cluttered room. On the far right wall she caught Zuko, and on the far left was Mai. Both of them were sleeping in twin beds, as well as Ty Lee herself. Ty Lee shuddered at the glimpse of Azula resting in the queen-sized bed, which had been situated in the upper left corner of the cabin, and was protected by only two panels of glass. How Azula could stand it, Ty Lee didn't know.

She released a breath that she had been holding in. It had been hurting her. Gulping, she tentatively slid off the mattress and skittered over the carpet to where Mai lay. She took up the entire bed. There wasn't any room for her. But Ty Lee reached out her hand and shook her friend's shoulder, awakening her.

"Ty Lee, there isn't any room…" Mai groaned, her eyes not even open to see that it was the girl. She seemed to have already known that she would have woke during the night to try and comfort her, but there wasn't much she could do. "Go back to sleep…"

"I can't." The gymnast whined in reply, sniffling.

"Then find somewhere else to sleep… and besides, I bet the storm's almost over…"

"But… even if it is, there'll be mudslides from the mountain, and this house is on stilts, and if the mudslide—"

"Ty Lee, please… it's the middle of the night… everyone's stayed up late, and the best thing you can do is go back to bed and get your rest…"

"But—"

But before she could finish her sentence, Mai abruptly turned the other way, grunting irritably as she did so. Ty Lee frowned, rejected. On her knees she looked over her shoulder to Zuko, his snores hardly audible over the racket of the storm. Even though he was cute, boys were the farthest thing from Ty Lee's mind at that moment. There wouldn't be any room for her there either, and it would have been odd for Mai to find her there in the morning if she did. She gazed over her other shoulder to Azula's bed, the queen-sized one. She had chosen it because it obviously had an advantage over the rest of the beds.

For the longest time, Ty Lee debated in her head if she should even _approach _the Princess. Multiple fears were now knifing into her. Although admired, she was also feared at the same time through her brown eyes. And one thing that the acrobat absolutely _knew _was that Azula hated to be interrupted—awakening her while she slept would be twice as bad, Ty Lee could predict it so well, that she wondered why she would humiliate herself by even going up to her. The panoramic windows that served as walls around the Princess didn't make Ty Lee feel any more confident, for there, she was able to see the storm unleashed its hellish wrath.

But without even realizing it, the pinkish teen realized that she was at the foot of the Princess' bed. Question after question tumbled in her head as to how she would wake Azula and the thought if she should even disrupt her at all always lingered by. Her hand reached out to shake her shoulder as she had done Mai, but it didn't… feel quite right. In uncomfortable silence Ty Lee observed the features of the Firebending prodigy. The pale, slender arms that folded themselves beneath the pillow that rested an intelligent head, the face resting the complete opposite of the violence they displayed during the day. It was so peaceful; one would have hardly been able to believe that she was renowned for her cruelty and unfair punishments. How perfect, she seemed, even while asleep. Ty Lee deeply wondered to herself if she would ever be as flawless as the sleeping prodigy before her.

"A…Azula…?" Ty Lee whispered, her own voice unrecognizable. Her body tensed up as she felt the vibrations of the storm ripple through the cottage. She clenched the pink blanket around her shoulders ever tighter, even though she knew that no amount of cloth could protect her

"A…Azula…? Azula?" She whimpered again, and this time the Princess' delicate ears picked up the teeny voice. She opened one golden eye, taking in the pink form, instantly recognizing it as Ty Lee. The girl repeated her name, afraid to touch her, and this was when Azula pushed herself up from the mattress, running a hand through her charcoal strands of hair. She then glared tiredly at the acrobat, wondering what the hell she could want in the middle of the night. Yes, she was aggravated that her rest had been interrupted, it was plain to see the annoyed expression on the Princess' face. Azula was about to tell Ty Lee off, the sentence even reaching the tip of her tongue, when she caught the upset expression on Ty Lee's face. Her eyes searched for an explanation.

"Um… I was wondering if I could sleep with you… Mai's bed is too small for both of us to fit… so…" Ty Lee sputtered for her words, trailing off in sentences that she couldn't even finish. It was as if Azula was fully awake and using her demonic dragon eyes on her, the fear grating at the acrobat. Lightning flashed, and the thunder didn't even have to sound for Ty Lee to jump. She then looked worriedly at the Princess.

Azula's amber stare seemed to bore into the pink gymnast for the longest time. Ty Lee couldn't see past those skeptical eyes, even if they were only half-lidded, wondering what the Princess could be thinking. After several unbearable moments, Azula scooted over so that there was enough room for Ty Lee to fit. The girl gave her a smile and a thanks, but it was not returned as Azula's back was to her as she practically leaped into bed.

Ty Lee yanked the covers up to her chin, digging the deepest she could into the mattress, snuggling up to the small of Azula's back. Azula of course noticed this, the shiver of Ty Lee's touch traveling up her spine, briefly rendering her frozen. She could feel the girl's body quake at the crash of thunder and the howl of the wind. Now more awake, she rolled over, sitting up.

"Ty Lee…" She began in one of her strict, no-nonsense tones. Ty Lee looked up fearfully, still hugging the covers around her. "Why are you scared of the storm?"

Her question was so direct. "I… I don't know… I just…just always have been…" Ty Lee answered, sobbing lightly, clutching herself as a violent wind slammed up against the cottage. Again, Azula stared at her for the longest time.

"Well what makes you think that by sleeping in my bed it'll make your fear go away?" Azula coldly asked again.

"I don't know… I just thought… that you could make it better…"

It wasn't until now did the words completely stop in Azula's mind. Before, she had been torn in her decisions whether or not to let the acrobat remain in her bed, but now, it was silence that floored her head… She felt… what was it… Azula couldn't figure out what word to describe the sudden sword that plunged itself through her defensive barrier. But Ty Lee had managed to do that, her glassy eyes gazing up at the prodigy for… protection…? It all sounded so strange, and yet at the same time… it was… nice… Sure, Azula was used to hearing Ty Lee speak about admiring her, but what she had just said… Well it… It flattered the Princess.

"I may be able to bend lightning, but not a storm." Azula stated, not letting herself get caught off-guard for too long. Hopefully, Ty Lee didn't notice. But she did, and giggled at her comment, smiling up endearingly. She wouldn't let the Princess know, though. No, Ty Lee kept the astonished look on Azula's face to herself, storing it into the back of her mind as she rested into the pillow again. Azula remained in her upright position, though, overlooking her friend and glancing out at the storm.

Ty Lee only pretended to sleep as she felt Azula lie back down again. Instead of having her back to her like when she had first crawled in bed, Azula faced the girl, reaching around her midriff to pull her closer. Ty Lee's delicate head rested in the crook of her chest and neck, and Azula was about to shut her eyes again when she felt an arm drape over her own waist. She gasped at the touch, retracting her own hand to grasp the wrist, but only heard the soft shushings of the gymnast below her. Ty Lee guided Azula's hand back to its position, wrapping her own arm around the Princess' waist. As if she needed any more emphasis, Ty Lee snuggled even closer, so that Azula could feel her heartbeat.

"I love you…" Ty Lee sighed, so that the Princess could feel her breath on her chest. It was then that Ty Lee gave her final goodnight, this time drifting off to sleep for real. Azula didn't reply, gazing at Ty Lee's graceful figure, still struck. But as the storm cooled its ghastly temper, Azula let the prideful feeling envelop her, and she fully relaxed in the girl's tender embrace. But before she could fall asleep, Azula smirked to herself. It felt… so… good…

* * *

**FIN.**


End file.
